Holland all keyed up

He has been shunted to the sidelines with Ireland, but Roy Keane's ban may have opened the door for the Charlton midfielder

IT’S no wonder that a footballer who has spent most of his career as a club captain is married to a woman with a taste for overcoming obstacles. But days before Ireland’s game in Israel in March, Paula Holland was a victim of the hazards of showjumping, thrown from her horse on the family farm in Essex and carted off to hospital with a badly broken leg.

Her husband delayed his trip to Tel Aviv to be at her bedside, and no doubt spent a chunk of the time rationally discussing the pros and cons of Paula persisting with her riding. Matt Holland has assembled his career around his intelligence on the pitch and his ability to express himself coherently off it.

It seems that unlike the horses she usually rides so well, Mrs Holland is not for turning. “She does one-day eventing, she’s up to a decent level,” said